The staff of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and the 2nd Battalion of the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) bid a solemn farewell to K9 Karina, a sniffer dog who helped prevent wildlife crimes and track down poachers, on Friday (May 9, 2025).
A female German Shepherd, K9 Karina, served the tiger reserve for 10 years with her handlers Jitu Gogoi and Manas Bora. She was considered one of the most efficient members of the AFPF’s drug squad.
“K9 Karina recovered from a major surgery in December 2024, but she breathed her last on May 8 due to old age-related health issues,” Kaziranga’s Field Director, Sonali Ghosh, said.
K9 Katrina was trained at the Dog Training School of the Bhopal-based 23rd Battalion of the Special Armed Forces as a part of the World Wide Fund for Nature-India’s Sniffer Dog Programme.
“She was known for her role in anti-poaching and anti-crime activities apart from patrolling, assisting us in solving many cases,” Ms. Ghosh said.
Her achievements included identifying a shelter of rhino poachers within the National Park’s Burapahar Range in 2018, assisting a forest patrol team in seizing a rifle in Karbi Anglong in 2023, and tracking down a murderer in 2016.
The last rites for K9 Katrina were performed with State honours at Seekoni, the headquarters of the AFPF’s 2nd Battalion.
